Cizre basement massacre death toll reaches 145

Date of publication: 17 02 2016, 13:49

The Crisis Desk formed by the Democratic Regions’ Party (DBP), Mesopotamia Association for Assistance and Solidarity for Families with Lost Relatives (MEYA-DER) and Mesopotamia Lawyers’ Association (MHD) for the purpose of identifying the casualties of the Cizre massacre held a press conference at the DBP Headquarters in Amed (Diyarbakir). MEYA-DER Amed Branch Co-President Ayşe Dicle spoke on behalf of the crisis desk and announced that the number of casualties, who were sent to Mardin, Urfa, Şırnak, Silopi and Gaziantep for autopsy purposes, has reached 145. Dicle noted that some family members of the deceased hadn’t been able to give DNA samples due to the on-going state of emergency in Cizre.

‘AKP trying to hide massacre’

Dicle emphasised that the Mardin Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office was trying to bury the bodies before the autopsy reports were prepared, on the pretext that they are not suitable for identification. Dicle stated that this was done to hide the Cizre massacre and paved the way for future atrocities. Dicle added, “The autopsy reports of the people killed in the Ankara massacre were prepared in one day, but Erdoğan and the AKP government are trying to hide the massacre by delaying the identification process and burying people.”

The MEYA-DER Amed Co-President emphasised that Erdoğan and the AKP government would be crushed under the weight of the massacre they had committed, and invited everyone to end the on-going silence and take a stand against the massacres of the Turkish state.

‘200 families have applied’

Dicle stated that nearly 200 families had applied to the crisis desk regarding the corpses, and that the massacre was graver than originally thought. She noted that DNA samples from the corpses were obtained in Mardin and Silopi, and renewed her call for applications for sampling.

Data on the massacre:

Below is the current data obtained from the Crisis Desk:

* From among the 17 corpses autopsied in Mardin, 3 were sent to Cizre, one to Gercüş in Batman, and one to Nusaybin.

* From among the 28 corpses autopsied in Urfa, the body of Mesut Karşin was sent to Van, the body of Fehmi Fekah Dinç was sent to Batman, and the body of Sultan Irmak was sent to Silvan.

*13 corpses in Şırnak are still being autopsied.

* From among the 51 corpses in Silopi, Abdulselam Turgut was sent to Van, and Murat Kazıcı was sent to Viranşehir.

* Some of the corpses are impossible to identify, and doctors and lawyers were prevented from entering the autopsy room.

* 25 corpses in Urfa, 49 in Silopi, 13 in Şırnak, 12 in Mardin, 16 in Cizre and 20 corpses in Gaziantep await autopsy procedures. As of today, the death toll has reached 145.